Apple's iBeacon Technology Featured in CES Scavenger Hunt

ces2014Next week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will feature a promotional iBeacon-based scavenger hunt, according to a press release issued today by the Consumer Electronics Association.

Attendees to the conference will be able to use the CES Mobile apps for iOS and Android to explore various areas of the show, collecting badges for each iBeacon that is encountered. The first three players to collect all of the iBeacon badges will be rewarded with prizes that include tablets, fitness bands, and more.

For the CES scavenger hunt, the Consumer Electronics Association is teaming up with several companies, including Radius Networks, which provides an iBeacon platform for mobile apps.

"This is one of the coolest proximity-aware apps we have worked on," said Marc Wallace, CEO and cofounder of Radius Networks. "This is also one of the first, tangible applications that leverages iBeacon technology. And it is a great example of how iBeacon technology is not just about advertising as it is about bringing new and innovative solutions to the marketplace. We are very excited to be a part of it."

First introduced in mid–2013 at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, iBeacons are low-energy transmitters designed to interact with iOS devices that support Bluetooth LE. Physical beacons are able to send notifications to iPhones and iPads when within 100 feet of a device, offering up an array of location-based information like product details, maps, and more.

Thus far, iBeacon technology has been implemented in Apple retail locations to provide additional product information to visiting customers with the Apple Store app installed. It's also been used in a collaboration between Macy's and Shopkick, installed in a cafe to provide on-site Newsstand publications, and Major League Baseball has plans to integrate the technology into various stadiums in the future.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
New MacBook Pros Launching Tomorrow With These 4 New Features 2

M5 MacBook Models to Use New Compact Camera Module in 2025

Wednesday July 17, 2024 2:58 am PDT by
Apple in 2025 will take on a new compact camera module (CCM) supplier for future MacBook models powered by its next-generation M5 chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Writing in his latest investor note on unny-opticals-2025-business-momentum-to-benefit-509819818c2a">Medium, Kuo said Apple will turn to Sunny Optical for the CCM in its M5 MacBooks. The Chinese optical lens company...

Top Rated Comments

Theclamshell Avatar
138 months ago
Who else read iBacon? :o
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
138 months ago


This is pretty funny considering Apple don't even demonstrate at CES, but plenty of Android OEMs do (and Microsoft used to keynote it).

Exactly!

Apple doesn't need a booth at CES to be the talk of the town. :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Parasprite Avatar
138 months ago
LOL! I think you meant to say "Passbook"?
Passbook was never really used as method of payment, except perhaps indirectly (i.e., plane tickets already purchased). They certainly were referring to NFC.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
derbladerunner Avatar
138 months ago
It's just an advertising tool trying to masquerade as something cool. Regular users will want to turn bluetooth off in the end because of iBeacon. I can see Congress adding new laws in the same category of the audio volume limits on TV ads.
I don't see this problem. Users in the iBeacon range have to have the specific app installed as well, otherwise they will not get any messages.

Not everyone with Bluetooth enabled will get coupons or other messages when walking into a GAP store or McD restaurant.

If companies get too agressive or send too many messages, people will delete the specific app or change the settings so it's in the developer's best interest to add real value.

I see a lot of added value in hotels, airports, museums, sports venues, stores and for transactions of all kind over time.

iBeacons could also be used for payments in the future, especially for recurring payments like beverages at Starbucks, instead of NFC.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
seamer Avatar
138 months ago
It's just an advertising tool trying to masquerade as something cool. Regular users will want to turn bluetooth off in the end because of iBeacon. I can see Congress adding new laws in the same category of the audio volume limits on TV ads.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
springsup Avatar
138 months ago
This is pretty funny considering Apple don't even demonstrate at CES, but plenty of Android OEMs do (and Microsoft used to keynote it).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)